Why Personal Trainers Suck

[AlterEgoNYC]

Okay, the headline is just sensationalism, but there's almost a universal problem with PTs. I've been going to gyms for close to 15 years and have been a member of a few gyms including Worlds, Crunch, New York Sports Club and Equinox. And without exception, all I see are chitty-chatty trainers with no focus and no intensity. Do PTs take their job seriously? Are you actually trying to get your clients to their goals, or are you just stringing them along to keep collecting fees? Why are you talking about sports or the big party on Saturday night with your client instead of having them focus on breathing, visualizing the next lift and building intensity into the workout? Why during a lift do just stand by typing on your iPhone instead of talking them through the lift?

All I see on the part of trainers is apathy, getting through the day to collect a paycheck.

[SEANxALLxDAY]

Okay, the headline is just sensationalism, but there's almost a universal problem with PTs. I've been going to gyms for close to 15 years and have been a member of a few gyms including Worlds, Crunch, New York Sports Club and Equinox. And without exception, all I see are chitty-chatty trainers with no focus and no intensity. Do PTs take their job seriously? Are you actually trying to get your clients to their goals, or are you just stringing them along to keep collecting fees? Why are you talking about sports or the big party on Saturday night with your client instead of having them focus on breathing, visualizing the next lift and building intensity into the workout? Why during a lift do just stand by typing on your iPhone instead of talking them through the lift?

All I see on the part of trainers is apathy, getting through the day to collect a paycheck.

Why U MAD?

[BC02]

okay, the headline is just sensationalism, but there's almost a universal problem with pts. I've been going to gyms for close to 15 years and have been a member of a few gyms including worlds, crunch, new york sports club and equinox. And without exception, all i see are chitty-chatty trainers with no focus and no intensity. Do pts take their job seriously? Are you actually trying to get your clients to their goals, or are you just stringing them along to keep collecting fees? Why are you talking about sports or the big party on saturday night with your client instead of having them focus on breathing, visualizing the next lift and building intensity into the workout? Why during a lift do just stand by typing on your iphone instead of talking them through the lift?

All i see on the part of trainers is apathy, getting through the day to collect a paycheck.

it will always be that way until trainers become real trainers and not salesmen

[jando]

Originally Posted by alteregonyc
okay, the headline is just sensationalism, but there's almost a universal problem with pts. I've been going to gyms for close to 15 years and have been a member of a few gyms including worlds, crunch, new york sports club and equinox. And without exception, all i see are chitty-chatty trainers with no focus and no intensity. Do pts take their job seriously? Are you actually trying to get your clients to their goals, or are you just stringing them along to keep collecting fees? Why are you talking about sports or the big party on saturday night with your client instead of having them focus on breathing, visualizing the next lift and building intensity into the workout? Why during a lift do just stand by typing on your iphone instead of talking them through the lift?

All i see on the part of trainers is apathy, getting through the day to collect a paycheck.

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they can do whatever. It makes it easier to for myself to get clients by comparison

[WoofieNugget]

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they can do whatever. It makes it easier to for myself to get clients by comparison

This. A lot of times I'll get other trainers' clients that will switch over to me just because they see the results and approach I take and realize they are wasting their money with their current trainer.

[Murrayjb]

I don't see any problem talking about sports or parties with clients if they are doing what they need to do. It helps you create a friendship with them so that they feel more comfortable coming to get trained. Obviously the workout itself has to be the 1st priority, but theres nothing wrong with chatting about other things sometimes

[dirtymcbride]

it all depends on the gym IMO. most corporate gyms just care about numbers so they hire any dumb ass off the street - alot of times without a certification or background in fitness. if you go to a gym that takes pride in it's trainers you'll see something alot different than what you described hooah.

[Rog447]

The thing is that 90% of clients dont WANT to be there....and they dont WANT to lift with the intensity of branch warren. Is barking orders at a woman in her 40's who's never stepped into a gym before sound like a good idea? NO. People want a "fun" experience not feeling like there going to the navy seals. They want to talk about stuff besides, what muscle this exercise works lol.

[Rog447]

it all depends on the gym IMO. most corporate gyms just care about numbers so they hire any dumb ass off the street - alot of times without a certification or background in fitness. if you go to a gym that takes pride in it's trainers you'll see something alot different than what you described hooah.

Agree with this....Gyms like LA Fitness pay their trainers $6 per half hour sessions ONLY when they are training. No health benefits, no salary, nothing. So you see 16-24 clients a day.

[nsiegel5]

Most if not all of the clubs you have mentioned are in fact HEALTH CLUBS not gyms especially in the NYC area. I used to work for them and the majority of the clients are not looking for a balls to wall workout. I would say maybe 1 in 10 clients that I trained in those types of facitlities wanted to work hard, the others wanted a moderate workout that was enjoyable and made them feel like they accomplished something. Equinox is $130and up a month just to walk in the door, most clients at that price point are not looking for a drill sgt.

[MT1979]

Most if not all of the clubs you have mentioned are in fact HEALTH CLUBS not gyms especially in the NYC area. I used to work for them and the majority of the clients are not looking for a balls to wall workout. I would say maybe 1 in 10 clients that I trained in those types of facitlities wanted to work hard, the others wanted a moderate workout that was enjoyable and made them feel like they accomplished something. Equinox is $130and up a month just to walk in the door, most clients at that price point are not looking for a drill sgt.

Exactly. Housewives and doctors aren't looking to be screamed at. You can't train your clients the same way you train, just b/c you like it.

[BC02]

exactly. Housewives and doctors aren't looking to be screamed at. You can't train your clients the same way you train, just b/c you like it.

i disagree. Clients need to be trained balls to the wall(for them) or they should leave and go hang out at the country club.

[MT1979]

i disagree. Clients need to be trained balls to the wall(for them) or they should leave and go hang out at the country club.

How long have you been training?

[SerpentHearted]

Okay, the headline is just sensationalism, but there's almost a universal problem with PTs. I've been going to gyms for close to 15 years and have been a member of a few gyms including Worlds, Crunch, New York Sports Club and Equinox. And without exception, all I see are chitty-chatty trainers with no focus and no intensity. Do PTs take their job seriously? Are you actually trying to get your clients to their goals, or are you just stringing them along to keep collecting fees? Why are you talking about sports or the big party on Saturday night with your client instead of having them focus on breathing, visualizing the next lift and building intensity into the workout? Why during a lift do just stand by typing on your iPhone instead of talking them through the lift?

All I see on the part of trainers is apathy, getting through the day to collect a paycheck.

you probably shouldn't hire one then?

[Roofus_the_bum]

Why U MAD?

He just said why he is mad and hey bud, people with 1 rep power can't say that.

and op, thats what makes a good personal trainer differ from a bad one.... theres one thing to be nice and talk when appropriate and theres another thing to stall and chat.

[BC02]

how long have you been training?

3.5-4 yrs

[AlterEgoNYC]

All valid points. Since I'm not and have never been a trainer, I don't have the experience to argue these points, but my intuition tells me that people sign up for trainers because they have goals and actually want to get in shape. If you sit them down on day 1 and tell them, this isn't going to be easy, and I'm not here to be your friend, I'm here to get you to your goals, which is going to take hard work, intensity and discipline... so that you set expectations, I think they will respond. They are paying you for progress. I'd rather walk into a gym with trainers that act like coaches... hollering instructions, building intensity, pushing their clients until they are all puking in trash cans. That would be a great gym, you couldn't help but get energized just by walking in the door.

[Muratovic]

they train with the intesify you give..

a housewive isnt gona wanna do anything besides loose alil weight and get "fit"
wtf is a trainer suppost to do ( ) when you have nothing to work with you cant give it all
on the other hand ive seen trainers go balls to the wall on people who want it who say a definite goal and show up at all times and dont complain

i remember when I tryed a trainer he made me do the wierdest **** ever i kept doing it and didnt stop and he kept trying to break me (sure he left sometimes to deal with other gym related things) but he was there the whole time and actually gave me alot of tips off the clock (it was a free session anyway and he spent his extra time giving me tips when his other client didnt show up and help'd me out he didnt even ask me if i wanted to pay)

they arent all salesmen unless you show yourself to be a check

[kryptiq]

I'm in no way a PT, maybe in the near future but certainly not yet. As with anything these days, you get what you pay for. It's the clients responsibility to request intensity level, this is a service and the customer gets what he/she wants.

[askthetrainer]

Okay, the headline is just sensationalism, but there's almost a universal problem with PTs. I've been going to gyms for close to 15 years and have been a member of a few gyms including Worlds, Crunch, New York Sports Club and Equinox. And without exception, all I see are chitty-chatty trainers with no focus and no intensity. Do PTs take their job seriously? Are you actually trying to get your clients to their goals, or are you just stringing them along to keep collecting fees? Why are you talking about sports or the big party on Saturday night with your client instead of having them focus on breathing, visualizing the next lift and building intensity into the workout? Why during a lift do just stand by typing on your iPhone instead of talking them through the lift?

All I see on the part of trainers is apathy, getting through the day to collect a paycheck.

Isn't this this case w/ 99% of people at 99% of jobs out there?

From baseball players getting paid $20,000,000 per year not hustling to min. wage burger flippers not following procedure, for most people a job is a job as it's something they have to do to pay the bills

[KyleAaron]

Okay, the headline is just sensationalism, but there's almost a universal problem with PTs.

There is indeed a universal problem with PTs: we have to put up with people who have never hired and will never hire a PT giving us advice on how to do our jobs.

It reminds me of the woman who told me, "Sure, I wrote to my Congressman about it! I said, Dear sir, I don't vote, but -" and of course he would have stopped reading there.

We
don't
care.

All I see on the part of trainers is apathy, getting through the day to collect a paycheck.

Then your vision is impaired. Possibly by ego.

By all means, start a business as a PT, show us how it should be done.

[AlterEgoNYC]

There is indeed a universal problem with PTs: we have to put up with people who have never hired and will never hire a PT giving us advice on how to do our jobs.

It reminds me of the woman who told me, "Sure, I wrote to my Congressman about it! I said, Dear sir, I don't vote, but -" and of course he would have stopped reading there.

We
don't
care.

Then your vision is impaired. Possibly by ego.

By all means, start a business as a PT, show us how it should be done.

Lol. 1. I know how to get results out of the human body. Practice > Preach. 2. I'm in better shape than 90% of PTs and I spend about 45 minutes a day, 4 - 5 days a week in the gym.

[MT1979]

Lol. 1. I know how to get results out of the human body. Practice > Preach. 2. I'm in better shape than 90% of PTs and I spend about 45 minutes a day, 4 - 5 days a week in the gym.

Your username and signature prove why you would fail as a pt. You care too much about yourself to help others.

[Rval86]

Lol. 1. I know how to get results out of the human body. Practice > Preach. 2. I'm in better shape than 90% of PTs and I spend about 45 minutes a day, 4 - 5 days a week in the gym.

Do you know how to get results out of the human body? Or just your body? I know a lot of people in great shape who don't know anything about working out but get by on superior genetics. I do think it helps trainers marketing ability to be in good shape but it certainly doesnt mean they know more than out of shape trainers.

[SerpentHearted]

They are paying you for progress. I'd rather walk into a gym with trainers that act like coaches... hollering instructions, building intensity, pushing their clients until they are all puking in trash cans.

Now i'm not the most successful or experienced trainer on here but generally speaking when I train with a client I'm trying to give them a workout that works for them, that's also enjoyable enough that they will come back next week instead of quitting because I've completely broken their spirit and made them feel like they're not cut out for training.

Trying to come up with a workout that will impress other knowitalls... i mean... impress other guys training in the gym who AREN'T paying for my advice isn't as high on my list of priorities.

[extremenergy3]

I don't know why I even bother coming to the Personal Trainers section anymore -_- SMH.

[Cease2xist]

I honestly had the same mindset before I became a PT.
Once you're on the other side your perception and opinion of the job drastically change.
It's more than results, it's developing an emotional and close connection to the client.
Most of the times it's more than barking orders, some wish to talk about their lives/days, etc.
Sure results are important, but ultimately your like-ability will directly influence resigns and client retention.


"A person will buy an inferior product from someone they like, versus a superior product from someone they don't".

[popupwindow]

Lol. 1. I know how to get results out of the human body. Practice > Preach. 2. I'm in better shape than 90% of PTs and I spend about 45 minutes a day, 4 - 5 days a week in the gym.

Getting results for yourself is easy as long as you follow any non-retarded training and nutrition program you will look better than 95% of people in the average gym. Getting truly strong/lean/big takes some more knowledge, time and effort, but the basics are very simple.

The hard part is getting other people results. You should try training someone some time, dealing with emotional connections with food, decades of bad eating habits, years of misinformation, frustration from failed previous diets/trainers, it's a lot to contend with. It's easy to cast judgement on trainers, and I'd say there are a lot of rubbish one's out there, the gym I train at (not the one I work at) has 10 trainers and I'll go on record saying every single one is incompetent. However, that's 10 out of a much larger group of trainers out there, so it would be silly for me to say because 10/10 of these trainers suck, then 100% of trainers suck everywhere.

[KyleAaron]

Lol. 1. I know how to get results out of the human body. Practice > Preach. 2. I'm in better shape than 90% of PTs and I spend about 45 minutes a day, 4 - 5 days a week in the gym.

Excellent. Then you should be very successful in your new career as a PT. I wouldn't advise having all your clients puking in the rubbish bin, but hey, if that's your style, give it a go. There's certainly a market for it - small, but it's there.

Once you're qualified and have at least one client who you manage to keep for at least a dozen sessions, come back to us.

[kneedragger85]

I don't think I have one single client that would benifit from me yelling at them. I push every client to their limits...but when you get them there calmly they are in the mindset to enjoy the success rather than feel like it was a punishment. As a result they come in expecting to be successful and it's easier to create new limits to push through.

When I was training to get stronger my training partner told me not to trip on my vagina on the way to the bench...worked great for me. I'm hesitant to use it on my clients.